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Obama made inroads with religious vote.(national)(Barack Obama )

Article from: The Christian Science Monitor Article date: November 07, 2008 Author: Marks, Alexandra

Byline: Alexandra Marks Staff writer

This year it appears the Democrats got religion, at least in terms of the vote.

In becoming the president-elect, Barack Obama made gains among religious voters of almost every type compared with recent Democratic presidential candidates. He handily won the Catholic and Jewish votes, and even picked up support among Protestants and some Evangelicals, long a pillar of Republican ballot-box strength.

Republican John McCain did win more support than President-elect Obama among people who attend worship services at least once a week. He ...

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Obama Breaks Evangelicals' Grip on Politics

Posted Nov 7, 08 1:07 PM CST in Politics 

Obama Breaks Evangelicals' Grip on Politics
Source: AP Photo/Brett Flashnick

(Newser) – Listen to too many campaign reporters, and you might forget that there are religious voters out there other than white evangelicals. But, writes Lisa Miller in Newsweek, Barack Obama built a coalition of religious voters by improving Democratic performance with virtually everyone else. “Indeed, it includes almost every committed person of faith except those whose church culture insists on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

A Pew survey showed that 44% of Americans who regularly attend services voted for Obama, up 9 points from Kerry's showing. "It's very cool that the story is not white evangelicals again," said the leader of a left-leaning evangelical group. Obama got 79% of nonwhite religious voters, 82% of Jews, and 46% of Catholics. Only 23% of white evangelicals voted for him, 3 points below Kerry's mark.

Source: Newsweek

More about:  Barack Obama • Election 2008 • the religious vote

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More about:  Barack Obama • Election 2008 • evangelicals • Ronald Reagan • Catholicism • John F. Kennedy • James Dobson • the religious vote

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